Shag is back, baby.  And I do believe it is here to stay.

One of the perks of working with JCPenney as their Green Living Partner is that I get a sneak peek at all the new merchandise coming out before it hits stores.   I also style and produce our Simply Green look books, which go to magazine editors to preview so they can showcase the products in their magazines.

This last season, I decided to shoot the look book at my new house in Pennsylvania, which I had restored for the past year and thought would be the perfect backdrop for the products.   The process to produce a lookbook is pretty simple: the design teams at JCPenney send me boxes of product, we use it to style rooms, photograph it, and I send it back.   Unfortunately, mistakes happen and one of these Simply Green Shag Rectangular Rugs by Studio, didn’t make it back.    But fortunately for me, the good folks in our Home Office at JCPenney said it was fine to keep it.

And keep it I did and I love it.   

• First, the eco-attributes: each 5×8 rug keeps 200 plastic bottles out of landfills.    Old plastic water bottles are collected from recycling, shredded and respun into nylon fiber and made into these rugs.      They’re durable, cozy, soft and easy to keep clean.

• The color palette is neutral enough to work in any décor: chocolate, cream mist, mocha, red spice, stone and tarragon.   (Chocolate is what I have and I am literally resting my bare feet on it as I type this).

I think it’s important to buy recycled products made out of plastic bottles as much as possible.  Even though many of us are cutting back on our bottled water use, billions of bottles are still manufactured and just a small percentage is actually recycled.   Keeping those bottles out of landfills by recycling them into beautiful rugs like these is one way we can make a difference.   Correction: a cozy difference.

Fortunately for one lucky reader, you don’t have to style a lookbook for JCPenney in the hopes of scoring one: just leave a comment saying which room you’d put this rug in and why it would look eco-fabulous!      I’ll pick one lucky reader to win a 5X8 rug in the color of their choice. 

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.  CONGRATS TO “TAMARA” FOR WINNING.  We used a random number generator to choose the winner. 

Good luck!

-Danny Seo

Do you have a whole collection of unwanted CDs or DVDs gathering dust around the house? Recycle a big collection into a functional dumbbell. Buy a 12-inch threaded rod from the hardware store and four nuts that will fit snug on the rod. Attach two nuts on each end of the rod and twist until they are about 3 inches in. Thread 25 CDs on each side of the rod and then secure with another nut. Use the 5-pound dumbbell when doing crunches; it’s soft enough to rest on your stomach during a sit-up to add just enough resistance to your workout routine. 

-Danny Seo

PS-Got another idea how to recycle old CDs?  Share your comment here and I just might send you a JCPenney Simply Green tote bag as my way of saying thanks!

It’s not often you hear about new innovations when it comes to bath towels.   But these new Linden Street Quick Dry Textured Towels might become the perfect replacement for every damp, disgusting bathroom towel in America.

Now, when I first got my hands on these “quick dry” towels I was a skeptic (and maybe you are, too).   My first thought was if someone was going to design a quick drying towel, you need to sacrifice something, like absorbency.   But after one drying off with the towels, I can now safely join the throngs of people who are raving about these towels:  they are fabulous.

The quick dry towels are 100% cotton (so they’re soft), but feature a special and new low-twist yarn that makes them light weight, yet surprisingly absorbent.  It’s this special low-twist design that helps the towel dry faster either on your towel hook or dryer.    Faster drying means less energy is used.    And for anyone with a large family, drying towels all day long can be a real energy hog.   Over time, the energy savings can really add up.  Plus, the towels are a great value: $9.99 for a bath towel and just $6.99 each if you buy two or more.

But the only way for people to really understand how great these are is to give a full set away to a lucky reader.    To win, leave a comment telling me which Linden Street Quick Dry Towel color is your favorite.   (You’ll need to click on the link to see the colors).    I’ll pick one lucky reader and will announce it on Thursday, July 2nd.   Good luck!

-Danny Seo

PS-My favorite color is Signature Gray.

THANK YOU for all your comments!  Contest is now closed and winner will be announced here shortly. 

UPDATE: Congrats to Napapon for winning.  We’ll be sending a set of “light mahogany” towels soon. We used a random number generator to choose the winner. Congrats!

Germs be gone! When you need to disinfect a kitchen or bathroom countertop of germs and bacteria, don’t reach for toxic chlorine bleach. Instead, grab some cotton balls and douse them in rubbing alcohol and rub away. The alcohol will kill the germs and bacteria on contact and will evaporate quickly.

-Danny Seo

PS-Got a green and natural tip on keeping your home nice and clean?  Share it here and I just might send you a JCPenney Simply Green tote bag as my way of saying thanks!   I’ll announce the winners on Wednesday, July 1st.

I think anytime you have a chance to buy recycled products, do it.   If you’re like me, you put out your empty glass jars and bottles, aluminum and tin cans, recyclable plastics and newspaper out for recycling.    But do you ever wonder where it goes?  Well, recycling is just the first step in a 3-step process.   The next step is to find companies willing to buy the recyclable trash and turn it into a new, recycled product.   Then, the final step is that we—the consumer—buy recycled products to help the process going.

There are many everyday recycled items you may be buying that are recycled.  There are countless recycled paper products out there, ranging from copy paper to toilet paper to even your Starbucks coffee cup.    And JCPenney sells lots of recycled PET plastic products (plastic water bottles) that are made into cushy bed pillows, throw rugs and even fleece jackets.   

But when I saw these Recycled Glass Decorative Rod Sets by Studio coming out, I had to stop and stare.   They are just a lovely product that could work in just about any home and blue-greenish recycled glass finials are just ethereally beautiful.

I think we need to share the recycled love by giving a set of these recycled glass rods away.  The winner will have a choice of 28-48”, 48-86” or 86-120” pair of curtain rods.  To win, all you have to do is leave a comment saying which room you’d use these in and anything else you feel like adding.  I’ll pick one lucky reader to win.  Good luck!   Winner will be announced Friday, June 26th.

-Danny Seo

UPDATE: Congrats to LENA for winning. We used a random number generator to choose the winner.  Lena says: We are in the process of redoing my daughter’s room and this might be the nice finishing touch. Very cute!

Come back Monday for a chance to win even more Simply Green prizes here at SimplyGreen.com.     What’s functional, decorative, and recycled?   Find out Monday and leave a comment for a chance to win.

Congratulations to all the winners so far!   Your tote bags, gift cards, and organic bedding are on their way to you.     Lots more posts, helpful tips and prizes to give away, so stay tuned!

Soy what? When burning candles around the house, be sure to choose clean-burning soy candles. Traditional candles are paraffin-based, which is made from non-renewable petroleum; when burned, it emits soot and smoke into the air, polluting your indoor air. Yuck! Soy candles are a much cleaner choice and made from — yep, you guessed it — soybeans! They’re easy to find and here’s the best part: They burn longer than paraffin candles, so you get more soothing scents for your cents.

Bonus Tip: Place unlit soy candles in your sock drawer to gently scent them.

-Danny Seo

PS-What’s your favorite soy candle and scent? Share it here and I just might send you a JCPenney Simply Green tote bag as my way of saying thanks!  I’ll announce winner on Thursday, June 25th.

When it comes to birthdays, anniversaries, and special holidays, my inbox usually gets inundated with the same question: What’s the greenest to give? 

People are always surprised that I do not recommend some brand new solar powered gadget or organic cotton blanket, instead I always say this: give a gift card.    Yes, the gift un-creative types have given for years as the safe one-size-fits-all solution for everyone is my personal eco choice.   But in reality, it really is the greenest gift because the recipient gets to choose exactly what they need and will use.    No wasteful returns of the birthday boy or girl bringing unwrapped gifts back to the store and no stress for the giver in trying to find the perfect gift for the most finicky person and, a gift card can be used on jcp.com, saving travel time for you!

One gift wrapping idea I have for gift cards is to put them inside an empty Altoid mint tin.  Fill the tins up with something fun—shredded paper, jelly beans, whole coffee beans—and wrap the box in colorful tissue or ribbon.   Buy several gift cards and place each card in its own tin; stack them up and tie with string and give it to someone as a shopping spree.

To get all of you thinking about gift cards, I’m giving one lucky reader a $50 JCPenney gift card to use as you please and buy what you need at any JCPenney store or online at jcp.com.  Just leave a comment telling me what you’d buy with it and why.  Good luck!   I’ll announce a winner here on Friday, June 19th.

-Danny Seo

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.  THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR COMMENTS.  WE USED A RANDOM NUMBER GENERATOR TO CHOOSE THE WINNER.  THE WINNER IS “STEPHANIE” WHO WROTE:  With a gift card I would buy some organic bedding because I really need it. I got a beatiful new duvet to go on my bed but have the most rag tag sheets. I normally buy everything from antqiue markets and garage sales but I prefer my bedding to be new- is that bad?

No Stephanie, it’s not bad to buy new bedding!  Enjoy and Congrats!

If you need to water the lawn or outdoor plants, do it at sundown. Watering the plants at night is the most ecological method, since there is no sun to evaporate the water immediately. If you have automatic sprinklers, set the timer to water the lawn at night. Not only does this save water, but the plants and lawn will get a proper soaking, too, and will thrive.

-Danny Seo

PS-Got a tip on how to get your green thumb growing better?   Share it here and I just might send you a JCPenney Simply Green tote bag as my way of saying thanks!

Lots of chances to win here, folks.    And it’s an everyday prize that I use all the time and I think you will, too.

Many retailers are now selling reusable bags since going green is something we’re all trying to do since using disposable plastic bags has become so passé.      Last year, JCPenney created one of the best reusable tote bags around, which features a reinforced bottom, wide-mouth opening and extra long handles; it’s strong and durable, easy to carry on your shoulder and it can hold A LOT of stuff.    And for just $1.99, it was easy to see why they sold out in stores all over the country.

This year, we decided to produce the same bag but do something different with the design by hosting a contest with fashion and design students around the country.   And here are the winning totes: I think they’re whimsical, fun and colorful designs that I anyone would love to carry around.   And the best part?   All proceeds from the sale of the totes goes to the JCPenney After School Fund, which provides children in need with access to life-enriching afterschool programs that foster their academic, physical and social development.

Since I have a nice stash of Simply Green tote bags here, I’ve decided to give (10) of you a free tote bag.    All you have to do is a leave a comment where you’ll use the bag.    Ten randomly chosen people who leave comments will win!   It’s that easy!  Good luck!  Winners will be announced Friday, June 19th.

-Danny Seo

PS-Check out this pic of actress Kerry Washington and me shopping at JCPenney with our Simply Green totes over at oprah.com.

CONGRATS TO THE FOLLOWING:   “HANNAH” “CASEY” “REBA” “MYFLOATINGWORLD” “JANET” “CAROL”"AMY ARCE” “BEC” “RYAN SULIVAN” and “JOSEPHINE” FOR WINNING.  WE USED A RANDOM NUMBER GENERATOR TO CHOOSE THE WINNERS AND ALL WINNERS HAVE BEEN EMAILED DIRECTLY WITH INSTRUCTIONS TO CLAIM THEIR TOTE BAG.

CONGRATS TO ALL!   STAY TUNED FOR MANY MORE CONTESTS HERE AT SIMPLYGREEN.COM!